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Root canal dentistry. Dentist injecting hot gutta percha gum during root canal dentistry. This is the second stage of this specialist root canal surgery, which takes 2 hours. The first stage is the drilling, cleaning and disinfecting of the tooth's root canal. This second stage is when the hole will be filled with the hot gum (over 200 degrees Celsius). The temperature and the use of an injection gun will ensure the gum fills all of the hole. This technique helps avoid later infection, which can result in an infected tooth that needs to be extracted, and can also cause damage to the jaw bone.